Folding end-gate



J. A. MOXEY.

FOLDING END GATE.

APPLICATION man MAY. 1915.

1,308,189. Patented July 1, 1919.

THB COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPII cm, WASHINGTON, D. C-

NITED STATES PATENT onn on.

JAMES A. ire-xenon CHICAGO, ILLINoIs, ASSiGNORQBYMESNE AssIGNMENTs, To INTERNATIONAL HARVESTER COMPANY, A CORPORATION or NEW JERSEY;

FOLDING NNneATE.

Patented July 1, 1919.

Application filed Ma 17, 1915. Serial No. 28,603.

Be it known that I, JAMES A. MOXEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Folding End-Gates, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact specification. y

My invention relates to folding end-gates for wagon beds, and has for its object to simplify and improve the operation and construction of the means employed for sup porting the same in operativeposition; 3

In folding eiidgates heretofore in general use a wooden bar has beenemployed for supporting the endgate in position within the wagon bed. Such a bar I have found is, under-heavy strains, susceptible of breakage, and users of these forms or endgates have longfelt the need of a more sub stantial supporting member which, while not addingtothe wei ht ofthe end-gate, will serve securely to "hold it in proper position under all conditions, The substitution ofa metal harflfor the Wooden barhereto fore used is, of course, the practical soln tion of these diiiiculties; but such a-bar should be of "spring metal and have free movement in anin andout direction in order to insure itslocking engagement when the end-gate becomes warped; p n A locking means must he provided for this bar which will positively holdit securely against disengagement. Thefriction locking devices now in use are unsuited for this purpose owing to the bending or fiexingof the spring metal ba'r when greatpressure is applied to the end-gate from within, the consequence of which would be to cause the pinioned end of the bar. to spring outwardly from beneath the locking device. I

My invention contemplates the employ ment of a spring metal supporting" bar for holdingthe hinged sections of the end-gate in extended position, and means whereby this bar may be locked in fixedposition and held therein secure against any possibility of release.

One form which my invention may assume is exemplified in the following description and illustratedin the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 shows a plan view of the rear portion of a wagon bed provided with a folding end-gate embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 shows a rear elevation of the endgate shown in Fig.1; and i Fig. 3 shows a planview of the same endgate inunlocked position.

Referring more in detail to the accompanyingdrawing, there is shown a wagon bed 10 provided with vertical cleats 11 to receive the hinged members 12 of the fold ing end-gate. Four cleats 13, vertically arranged, are provided on the exterior su nface of the end-gate, and a spring metal barre extending thefull length of theendgate is secured to the cleats 13 on one of the hinged? members means of bolts 15. On the outer of the other hinged memher is pivoted, by means of a bolt 16, a segmental locking member 17 provided with an operating ha1 1d1e18. The free end of the bar, 14:, it"will beseen, terminates adjacent tothe outer cleat, and the locking member thereon is so positioned that when its straightedged portion19 is presented toward the su portin bar no engagement will pe ites-tea between thoseparts; whereas, when the arcuate portion 20 is presented to- ;ward the bar, a oyerl ppin engagement willbe effected suficient 'to hold said bar andadjacent hinged member against relative movement. Thehandle18 is so posi tioned upen the lockingmember that when thestraight edged portion is turned toward thebarsaid handlewill be in its upperposition of movement, and when the arcuate portion is turned toward the bar the handle will be pointed downwardly.

The cleats 13, it will be seen, are all of the same thickness, and therefore I have provided an inwardly directed offset portion 21 on the free end of the supporting bar in order to effect a more perfect connection be tween the locking member and the bar. This, of course, is-not essential, and where employed-the extent of ofiiset depends upon the resilient du ality of the metal bar. To prevent the bar 14 from moving inwardly too far and thus becoming disengaged from the locking member, thereby permitting the locking member to swing about its pivot, I have provided a short cleat 22 on the endgate adjacent to the free end of the bar and so arranged as to have its outer surface engaged by the bar when in locked position.

It is a well-known fact that a wooden end-gate often becomes warped, and the hinges thereon shrink in such a way that it the parts at all times for locking purposes.

Furthermore, the bar is spaced apart from the end-gate a sufficient distance to permit the operator to insert his. hand between the bar and end-gate, and thus an advantageous leverage is secured whlch Wlll be found con venient both in inserting and removing the end-gate.

Owing to the resilient quality of the supporting bar, which is constructed thus to insure its easy movement to locking position at all times, it is found in practice that a heavy pressure from within will tend to force the hinged members outwardly, bending the supporting bar in so doing. In extreme' cases this bending or flexing of the spring metal bar is so great as to cause the locked end thereof to slip from beneath the locking member, thereby releasing the endgate. To overcome this I have provided on the handle 18 an enlarged portion 23 having an areuate slot 24 formed therein, and in position to enter said slot is a stud 25 fixed upon the supporting bar. -With the parts in l-ocln'ng position, as shown in Fig. 2, the studwill be held within the slot and thereby longitudinal movement of the end of the supporting bar will be prevented and the most excessive strains on the end-gate cannot cause a bending of the resilient bar or a consequent springing out of its locked end. t

While I have shown and described bu one. form of my device, it is to be understood, nevertheless, that it is susceptible of modification, and, therefore, changes may be resorted to in many of the details without departing from the spirit of my invention as disclosed in the appended claims.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is: r r

1. In a folding end-gate, a pair of hinged sections, a supporting member having a substantially flat engaging portion secured to one of said sections extending substantially across both of said sections and having a lateral projection extending out- Copies of this a e may be obtained for sections, a supporting member therefor, a

locking member for said supporting member, said locking member being provided with an arcuate slot, and a stud on said supporting member to eoact with said slot.

3; In a folding end-gate, a pair of hinged sections, a flexible bar for supporting said sections, a locking member for said bar provided with an arcuate slotted portion, and means on said bar to enter the slot.

4., In a folding end-gate, a pair of hinged sections, a spring metal bar spaced from and .secured to one of said sections, a locking member on the other section to engage with said bar, said locking member being pro vided with an arcuate slot, and a stud carried on said bar to coact with the slot.

5. In a wagon bed, vertical cleats arranged on each side of said bed near the end thereof and spaced apart, hinged end-gate sections received within said cleats, a flexible supporting member arranged on the endgate and secured to one of the hinged members, said supporting member having a stud and a locking member on the other one of said hinged members to engage with the supporting member, said locking member being provided with means to engage with the stud of said supporting member to hold it against flexing movement.

6. In a wagon bed, vertical cleats arranged on each side of the bed near the end thereof and spaced apart, hinged end-gate sections received within the cleats, a flexible supporting bar having a stud and secured at one end to one of the hinged members, a locking member pivoted to the other one of the hinged members in position to engage with the free end of the supporting member, a handle on said locking member provided with a slot to cooperate with the stud of said supporting bar to hold it against longitudinal movement.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

JAMES A. MOXEY.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0. 

